Field research in Strashnaya cave (Northwestern Altai) in 2019: new data on the stratigraphy

This article presents the results of field works carried out in Strashnaya cave in 2019. Strashnaya Cave is one of the most informative sites in the study of the Paleolithic in the Altai. The site is located in the southern part of the Russian Altai, in the valley of the Inya River. Strashnaya cave has been studied since 1969 by several research teams; the current research stage was resumed in 2013. The cave is a multilayered stratified site containing cultural deposits from the Middle Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. There were 13 lithological layers in the stratigraphic section of the site. Layers 1 and 2 belonged to the Holocene; others layers belonged to the Pleistocene; layers 11-13 were archaeologically sterile. In the field season of 2019, studies were focused on the stratigraphic context of the Middle Paleolithic archaeological complexes in layers 4-10. For this purpose, the stratigraphic section along the “E” line in the central part of the cavern was cleared and studied. Geological description of stratigraphic subdivisions was prepared, and samples were taken for lithological analyses. Eight layers containing archaeological evidence from the Middle Paleolithic as well as three archaeologically sterile layers were identified in the section. The detailed study of stratigraphy was accompanied by sampling for dating by OSL-method. The studies have made it possible to compose a unified model of sedimentation in the cave, and determine the genesis of the main stratigraphic units. Lithological observations supplemented by detailed laboratory studies will make it possible to identify the least disturbed layers in the cave. OSL-dating of the selected samples will establish the absolute age of their formation.